Writing an Effective Bio

Writing an Effective Bio Recently, I have received numerous client requests for written bios. Many times, these are needed for websites, speaking engagements, or workshop proposals. While you may be tempted to include everything, you need to remember that it your target audience that counts. Think of the bio from their point-of-view and only include the necessary information. Here are my top ten tips for writing an effective bio: Identify your purpose. Are you speaking at an event? Who will be reading the information? Utilize the third person perspective. Using this approach makes the information sound more objective. I tell clients to think of the back of a book jacket â€" consider what you would read about the author. Shorter is better. Impressive people have short bios. More importantly, people have short attention spans. Capitalize on your most important information first and get to the point. Have length options. Your bio may be requested in different lengths. Keep a running document of a short bio, a medium bio (about a paragraph in length), and a long bio (up to one page in length). Invert your pyramid. Put the most important information first. If someone quits reading your bio, what do you want them to know about you for sure? Start with your name. Although this may seem obvious, it is important for people to correlate your information with your name. For example, my bio begins, “Heather Rothbauer-Wanish founded Feather Communications in 2008…” Add some personality. Readers want to know YOU as the person. If appropriate, add some humor and a memorable fact so that the readers recognize you and your information. Don’t include everything. You can’t be everything to everyone. And, you simply can’t put all of your information into your bio. Include the information that is pertinent to your audience. Contact information. End your bio with your contact information (if appropriate). You want to make it as convenient as possible for someone to contact you. Read and rewrite. Your bio is ever-evolving. Ask a trusted friend or colleague to review and proofread your information. Review your bio on a regular basis â€" this will save you time in the long-term. Finally, if you have tried to write an effective bio and it just isn’t working, please contact Feather Communications today at 715-559-6378 or heather@feather-communications.com. We love working with clients and making their information shine!